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Righty Gonzalez promoted to Triple-A

WASHINGTON -- The Phillies are finally seeing results on their $12 million investment in Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez.

The Cuban right-hander was promoted to Triple-A Lehigh Valley from Double-A Reading on Friday after going 0-2 with a 3.14 ERA over 14 1/3 innings in a bullpen role.

"He was ready for that move," Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg said.

The organization converted Gonzalez from a starter to a reliever because of issues with his throwing elbow, and the change has significantly aided the right-hander's development, especially in terms of velocity.

Sandberg said Gonzalez is throwing his fastball between 93-97 mph. In addition, he's polished his breaking ball and changeup to become a legitimate three-pitch threat.

The key now for Gonzalez will be encountering more two-inning outings, which are the type of situations the Phillies expect the 27-year-old to encounter in the Majors.

"It sounds like he's really there as far as all that goes [health-wise], " Sandberg said. "Now, it's more about experiencing. He's done back-to-back days, but just to get him ready to really be usable at this level would be his next step."

Daniel Popper is an associate reporter for MLB.com. He also can be found on Twitter @danielrpopper. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.